Yonex VCORE PRO 97H Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 78

The Yonex VCORE PRO 97H offered massive plow-through power when swings were timed correctly, and our playtesters were able to shorten their backswings and still achieve depth in the court. Mark began by describing, "The baseline is where I spend most of my time playing tennis, and my groundstroke confidence improved with the VCORE PRO 97H. As long as I got the tip of the racquet through ball contact, the reward was immense. Once I got used to letting the 349 grams of weight (strung) do their job, there was plenty of mass-based power. With that open 16x19 pattern, I was able to keep that power inside the lines and not outside the park."

"This racquet swung big, with lots of heft and more plow-through power than I expected," Chris added. "This version of the heavy VCORE PRO 97 felt even beefier than before. I had fun taking big cuts and driving through the ball, but I had to have plenty of time to set up, as the racquet was tougher to maneuver compared to what I am used to. I was able to use a compact backswing and still get good drive when taking the ball on the rise thanks to the racquet's plow-through. I was able to drive my backhand slice and hit a very heavy ball."

Michelle, who uses the heavy Wilson Pro Staff RF97, felt the swingweight was a bit too much for her, causing timing issues. She said, "This racquet packed a punch, and it had me rethinking my gym routine! I normally find this model to fall into a category similar to my RF97, but the swingweight of this version was hefty, and I really struggled with consistency and accelerating through the ball. Many times, I struggled to get the ball cross court as well. I desperately craved some medicine ball throws to strengthen and speed up my swing! I really had to focus on an early take back, good footwork, big targets and high margins of error. On the flip side, the racquet felt solid, stable and was really fun to slice with. I definitely found myself trying to move forward to end the point at the net, if not on a big groundstroke. The VCORE PRO 97H felt more flexible than the previous version, and this playtest made me think the best person to swing this racquet really must be Stan the Man!"

Sage agreed with Michelle's points, adding, "The increased beam width and bump in swingweight led to a rock-solid response and tangibly more power. Although I enjoyed a deeply driven ball when I hit the sweetspot, this racquet felt sluggish from the baseline. I was noticeably late more often than usual throughout the playtest. When I kept my swing lateral, the open pattern produced great spin. It was only when I attempted a more whippy shot that the mass of the frame felt like lead. I just couldn't maneuver it like I wanted to, and it was quite literally hit and miss. I enjoyed the qualities this VCORE PRO 97H offered on court, but this is a rare occasion where it ultimately proved to be too much racquet for me."

Volleys - Score: 85

With its overall mass and significant plow through, the VCORE PRO 97H helped our playtesters crush their volleys. Chris found himself approaching the net in singles to capitalize on the racquet's put-away power. He said, "It was no surprise that the VCORE PRO 97H felt rock solid at net. I had fun punching volleys with depth and pace, but I had better results doing that in singles than doubles because I found myself typically getting more time to react. Maneuverability became more of an issue in doubles, where I had to react faster, and the racquet tended to feel a bit cumbersome. At contact, I found the response to be very comfortable, and the racquet handled incoming pace exceptionally well."

Mark felt immortal with the VCORE PRO 97H in his hands. He said, "I know that I am not indestructible at net, but I sure felt that way when dealing with any shot inside the service court with the 97H. The average 7-points head-light balance offered enough maneuverability for me to get into position on time, and obviously not too many passing shots are going to budge a 349-gram racquet paired with a 347 swingweight, so there were zero questions regarding stability."

While Michelle found the 97H to be sluggish from the baseline, she had no maneuverability issues at net. She said, "I was happy with this racquet at the net. Because I was struggling with consistency, I tried to find my way forward and end points with volleys. The racquet was very stable against the biggest of hitters and allowed me to hit touch shots or droppers."

Although Sage primarily plays from the baseline, volleys were his favorite shot to hit during this playtest. He explained, "Just like the VCORE PRO 97D, this new racquet had a wonderfully solid feel up at net. The power behind my volleys was evident with the depth I could generate regularly. Touch and a connected feel were both present off the stringbed. I don't typically find this to be true, but volleying was my favorite aspect of this racquet."

Serves - Score: 82

Massive swingweight plus heavy mass is the perfect equation for monster power, and the playtesters used these factors to dominate on serve. Chris allowed the VCORE PRO 97H to work with his slice by using the racquet's momentum to generate heavy spin. He said, "My favorite shot to hit with this racquet was the serve. I loved the plow-through power the VCORE PRO 97H offered on every swing. I was able to hit a very penetrating slice serve with this racquet. My slice first serve into the body of the returner was especially effective, and I was able to draw plenty of errors or short returns. I had better success hitting slice on my second serves rather than topspin. It was a little easier for me to go around the ball rather than trying to brush upward for topspin."

This racquet added some noticeable weight to Mark's serves. He said, "Honestly, I cannot develop an exceptional level of racquet head speed; however, most of my practice partners indicated that my shots had more weight to them than usual, especially my serve. By the end of this playtest, I felt my serve had improved in terms of enjoying a better result while exerting less effort."

Sage and Michelle both found their serves to be inconsistent and difficult to adjust to due to the racquet's overall mass. Sage described, "I had to focus on my timing and snapping through contact with the ball. The VCORE PRO 97H was a lot of racquet once it was above my shoulders. Overhead, I felt the weight in the later stages of a hitting session, but I still loved the resulting serve when everything came together. It produced a heavy ball with plenty of spin and power. The control was there, and I was confident in my placement, but as is the theme of this playtest, the mass of the racquet proved to be a downside."

Michelle continued, "A solid first serve hit with this racquet could end the point, but I did struggle a little with first serve timing and consistency."

Returns - Score: 77

Playing styles dictated our playtesters' views on returning with the VCORE PRO 97H. Mark found the racquet to enhance his return game, saying, "The swingweight of Wawrinka's new 97H is now in the 340 range, making it boulder solid from anywhere in the court, but it's especially noticeable under the pressure of bigger serves. To my surprise, my return of serve was not hindered by the heft of this racquet. Its 7-points head-light balance helped me use its high static weight and high swingweight to my advantage."

On the contrary, Chris, Michelle and Sage thought the racquet's weight hindered their shot selection. Chris explained, "I loved the stability, comfort and precision I found on returns; however, the heft of this racquet limited my options. If I drove through the ball or chipped a return back, I was fine. If I tried to roll heavy topspin deep or go for an angle, I couldn't swing the VCORE PRO 97H as fast as necessary to get the needed spin."

"I was hoping to love this racquet on returns, but instead, I felt a bit lost and inconsistent," Michelle added. "I was spraying returns from time to time and wasn't feeling really connected to my targets. The swingweight was just a bit high. Luckily, it wasn't all a wash, and I did have better luck blocking balls back or even slicing returns. Returns are usually my bread and butter, but I didn't feel like I could execute them successfully enough time after time, and I found myself making more errors than I would like."

Timing once again proved to be a sticking point for Sage with the VCORE PRO 97H. He said, "Similar to baseline play, the only drawback with my serve return was making contact late. It felt great when I was able to set up and swing through the ball, and I usually put the server on their back foot. The stability and power were big pluses, but for greater playability, I would have liked a more head-light balance or lower swingweight."

Overall - Score: 82